"Ask the Doctor": Organ Transplants

January 04, 2000

The Houston Chronicle presents "Ask the Doctor" where Dr. Woods discusses health issues including liver disease, transplants, hepatitis, organ donation, and cancer.

Page 1 of 7

TheChronicle: Welcome to Ask the Doctor! HoustonChronicle.com and Talk City are proud to present our special guest for today, Dr. Patrick Woods The purpose of the Ask the Doctor chats are to provide general information and the intent is in no way to be construed as medical advice for any visitors' specific disease or condition. The intent is to increase a participant's knowledge about a general disease or condition. For treatment of your specific condition, please see your personal physician. The intent of this forum is not to be used in emergency situations. If you are uncertain of the urgency of your problem or condition, contact your personal physician or the nearest hospital. Welcome Dr. Woods!

Dr. Woods: Thank you! I appreciate being here!

Emmie: What is the major cause for a liver to shut down and the need for it to be replaced by transplant?

Dr. Woods: In the past, the major reasons for a patient to require a transplant was a variety of diseases, none of which were more common than the other. However, in the last several years, the disease of Hepatitis C and cirrhosis developing from Hepatitis C is now the most common reason that a patient may require a liver transplant.

Francis Clark: How successful are various organ transplants?

Dr. Woods: In the major organ transplants, heart transplantation has survival rates that are greater than 90 percent of the patients being alive after the first year, and somewhere between 60 and 75 percent of those patients being alive at 5 years. In liver transplantation, about 85 percent of the patients are alive at the end of the first year, with about 70 percent of them alive at 5 years. In kidney transplantation, most patients are live long term, but only about 50 to 60 percent of the kidney's function as long as five years. And it's important to understand that heart and liver transplantation are life saving transplants. In the kidney transplantation, the patient can survive even if the kidney fails by going back on dialysis.

Paula: Why are more transplants not done?

Page 1 of 7